Splash into the world of underwater digital photography at the third annual underwater Digital Shootout in Fiji, May 6 - 15th, 2004! Far beyond a standard photo safari, the Digital Shootout is an in-depth learning experience. Meet fellow beginner and advanced shooters and rub elbows with our team of professional photographers and industry experts for a week long program that includes free digital demo gear with professional assistance and critiques, and hands-on workshops. Experts from Adobe will empower you with the essential skills of Photoshop image control and premiere video editing.

Wetpixel is proud to annouce our involvement in this year's event. We'll be giving a seminar on digital underwater photography, and will be doing a daily webcast of shootout events.

I signed on to this trip a couple of weeks ago so there'll be at least one more S2 user in attendance. This will be the first real trip were I have my new rig and I'm excited about shooting those soft-corals with a 10.5.

Does anyone know what the weight allowance is for the hop to Taveuni and if any special consideration is being extended for the shootout. I may have to leave my film stuff at home.

Larry: Great! It will be good to have another S2 shooter there. My first trip to Taveuni in 2001 I was shooting my Coolpix 990 - ah the memories. There are GREAT wideangle opportunities there - perfect for the 12-24 or the 10.5

Todd: Eric and I will be helping out w/ the Shootout. I don't think I will be doing anything important though - so I'll be more like a "gofor" than anything else...:-)

E-6, Hi-8, etc. are located in the Bligh Water area that's accessed from the Northeast side of Fiji. I did the Naia a couple of years ago and that is where the best diving is. Bamboo Beach Resort is a new dive resort in that area that's getting a lot of buzz.

Bega Lagoon is on the south (rainy) side and I don't think the diving is as good as Taveuni

Just got back from Fiji - it was gorgeous the diving better then I remembered, but then again. i dived there last when i was 11... The water temp was at 30m was 31 degrees celcius. I have dived mostly wrecks, i love rusty metal. and usually only because of the lack of really good coral to enjoy looking at. Good news, I saw some of the most beuatiful coloured hard and soft corals ever, it was really amazing my father who is like old salt of the sea couldn't believe the colours we were seeing, it actually looked painted - unreal. Had a great time, great diving, warm water, my son is snorkelling now and he is only 2years and two months, i have him hooked. Will be going back to Fiji for X-mas this year.

E-6, Hi-8, etc. are located in the Bligh Water area that's accessed from the Northeast side of Fiji. I did the Naia a couple of years ago and that is where the best diving is. Bamboo Beach Resort is a new dive resort in that area that's getting a lot of buzz.

Bega Lagoon is on the south (rainy) side and I don't think the diving is as good as Taveuni

So... what about really inexpensive accommodations on the NE side? James said he stayed in Taveuni for $30/night in the past, and I assume that you might be able to get similar rates somewhere up there? We are being quoted really high prices for Bamboo Beach Resort.

Yeah, when I stayed on Taveuni I was at Allan Peterson's Tovu Tovu where I got a bure for ~$30 a night. Allan would drop me off at the dive shop every morning, I had a nice clean bure w/ hot water and electricity until 9pm, etc.

Here's what I think is the list of hotels where kaiviti divers pick up their divers for diving the Bligh Water reefs:

I've only dived Bligh Water from a liveaboard. From what I've researched on the Internet there are a number of cottages and inexpensive backpacker type accommodations on Nananu-I-Ra island but I couldn't make any recommendations.

You might try to contact Dan Grenier at http://www.bambooree...com/index.shtmlHe, along with Rob Barrel of the Naia, is responsible for opening up the diving in the Bligh Water area and he can probably point you in the right direction.